After a crazy couple of weeks of work on child welfare bills, this week is the first since legislative hearings started where I won’t be making the trip to the state capitol in Lincoln to testify. While I’ll get some extra hours in the office to work on some ongoing…...
Create a Tax Modernization Commission – Support LB 613
February 19, 2013 To: Members of the Executive Board From: Carolyn Rooker, Executive Director Re: Support for LB 613: Creation of the Tax Modernization Commission In Nebraska, we pride ourselves on having built “the Good Life” for our children and families. The high quality of life that we enjoy…...
Making child care more accessible – Support LB359
Voices for Children in Nebraska fully supports LB 359, introduced by Senator Cook to improve access to child care by establishing an earned income disregard for child care subsidies. Here is our full written testimony: February 13, 2013 To: Health and Human Services Committee From: Aubrey Mancuso, Policy Coordinator…...
Improving Foster Care and Extending the Nebraska Children’s Commission – Support for LB 530
In February 2013, 3,762 Nebraska children and youth who were state wards were in out-of-home care.[1] While Nebraska should continue to take steps to reduce the removal of children from their homes, we also have a responsibility to ensure that children who are removed from their homes live in quality,…...
LB 556 – Improving behavioral health screenings and access for kids
In the words of our Executive Director’s son: “Physical health is important, but if you aren’t mentally ok then the physical stuff doesn’t matter so your behavioral health is what’s really important.” There’s no question that many of Nebraska’s children and youth face behavioral health issues. However, putting an exact number…...
Fairer Sentencing Ahead?
Late on Friday afternoon, the Judiciary Committee began considering how Nebraska will sentence children and youth involved in very serious crimes. Nebraska is one of 29 states that have a mandatory sentence of life without parole for certain crimes, even if the person accused is an adolescent. This past…...
End juvenile life without parole – Support LB 44
All children deserve and need society’s protection to grow into healthy, productive adults. Even children who commit serious crimes are still children. We should respond to youth crime in a thoughtful and effective way that preserves community safety, contributes to Nebraska’s future prosperity, and gives children the protection they…...
Neutral Testimony on LB22 & LB212: Modifications to the Parenting Act
Yesterday, Voices for Children testified on LB 22 & LB 212 in a neutral capacity. Supporting equal parenting time in cases of divorce is important, yet we have concerns over some possible unintended consequences these bills may have. Here is the written testimony we presented to the Judiciary committee:...
